The Paintbrush is Stronger Than the Sword
by Sporedude135
Summary: A magical paintbrush. A tool made to create anything to the painter's liking and bring it to life. Only those the brush finds trustworthy can use it. Generation after generation, this brush has changed hand and hand, and it finally lands in the hands of a young girl. However, there are those who want the brush, and to an extant, her, for their own gain. Currently on hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**Oh boy, another RWBY story from yours truly, Sporedude135. That is all I have to say. Enjoy!**

* * *

Remnant. A world where magic and technology co-exist. It's a land of beauty, as well as a land of chaos. Creatures called the Grimm, hideous beasts with no souls, have set their sights on the four Kingdoms. But thanks to aura and dust, humanity and the Faunus have managed to fight back against the forces of darkness, ushering in a new age of progress.

When we say progress, we mean technological progress. Using dust and the very aura that humanity and Faunus-kind has, they've created some of the greatest machines Remnant has ever seen. However, the arts and crafts had been slowly diminished.

This hasn't stopped people however. They started naming their children after colors, and this tradition soon became a powerful one. Most children are named after color nowadays. But there was one family, an ancient one, that has stood the test of time.

And that is the Robinchild family.

This family was one of the first families to truly keep the artistic expression alive after art "died off" thanks to their paintings. It was thanks to them that art restarted after the Great War between the four kingdoms. And they are the ones, the only ones, that have weilded one of the strongest weapons that mankind has ever seen.

A paintbrush. It may seem ordinary to you, but this very paintbrush is very different among others, mostly due to connecting to the painter's imagination to not only help create and color art, but to, literally, bring it to life. Only the Robinchild family has it, and is the only family the paintbrush itself trusts. Generation after generation, this very brush has been past down to those of the Robinchild family.

And today, it's getting a new owner.

* * *

Mai Robinchild awaited the arrival of her father after she got home. He was supposed to get off work today, and he would be returning today. She was lucky to have a father. Her mother passed away after giving birth to her, leaving her dad to take care of her.

This also meant that she stayed by herself a lot while dad's at work. But at least she has school for most of dad's work period. At school, she was considered a social outcast due to her almost fetish-like love for art. Because of this, she often consider's school to be a babysitter for most of the day, as only the teachers care for her. She gets home about twenty minutes before her dad gets home.

Despite her family being the most influential family in the art world, they're kinda in a tough spot. Despite her father's best efforts, their paintings weren't selling as much as they used to. So he went to work for the Schnee Dust Company. The work was tough, but he got paid enough for him to get by.

A three-pronged knock came from the door. She got up from her chair and looked through a peep-hole. Standing there was a man in his mid to late thirties, with almost unnatural colored white hair, sparkling blue eyes, and the tattoo of a wolf paw over his right eye. His work clothes were all dirty from mining up all that Dust.

"Hi dad! How was work?"

"It...was alright...I need to talk to you." Mai looked at her dad with confusion, but stepped aside as he motioned her to follow him upstairs to his workshop. She was kinda worried on what he was going to talk about. She was never allowed in that room, but she went anyway. Inside, dozens of paintings that he and his ancestors had created lined the walls, making the room feel like an ancient burial ground of art. He sat down in a dusty chair, looking straight at her.

"What's wrong," she asked.

"Listen. White Fang activity had begun rising as of late. I'm beginning to worry about your safety, so I'm sending you to Vale where your aunt and uncle live." Mai's eyes widened in shock. She moved a strand of chocolate brown hair from her eyes as her father got up.

"But...what about you?"

"I'll be coming in due time. I have to get our family's paintings ready to move. I'm sending you on early because I don't know when the White Fang might strike," her father replied. He looked up at a shelf and brought down a small box. "And plus, I'm giving you this."

Mai eyed the box with suspicion. She then opened it, revealing a paintbrush.

"Uh...dad. I'm pretty sure I know how to use a paintbrush," Mai told him. He only chuckled as he got a canvas and put it on a stand.

"I knew you would say that. But this brush is different from the rest. Now, think about something you've seen in your imagination and lightly tap the brush on the canvas," her father instructed her. Doing what her father told her to do, she began to dig deep into her mind to find something to paint. Her eyes opened when she finally fount what she was looking for. Looking down at the brush, she gently put the bristles on the canvas.

What she didn't expect was paint to magically appear, change colors rapidly, and her arm to move at a speed she never thought was possible. She was also surprised she was adding smaller details like scales, something she has never done before with a paintbrush. After her arm finally calmed down, the paint disappeared from the brush. She marveled at her creation, which is a long, serpent-like being that gives off an aura of wisdom.

"Alright! Now, touch the bottom of the brush like you would do a pen." She did what she was told, causing electricity to come from the tips of the brush. The bolts hit the painting, causing a "portal" to open on the canvas. Out from it comes the serpent. It flew around for a bit before it wrapped itself around Mai's arm. It looked at her before licking her cheek, causing her to laugh.

"W...wow! I never thought I could do that," Mai exclaimed.

"It was all thanks to your imagination. Anything you create with this brush it brings to life after the painting's creation. Your creations are forever loyal, which I knew you would love since you don't have any "true" friends. No one really wants to hang out with an art-obsessed girl nowadays anyway," her father said. Mai looks down, but looks back up with shine in her eyes.

"If I can't find friends, I'll make them!"

"I was figuring you would say that." He ruffles her hair before turning towards a window. "I trust that whatever friend you make with the brush will keep you safe. You'll leave tomorrow. Come on, I'll help you pack.

Mai nodded, and she went off to pack.

* * *

Tomorrow morning:

Mai stood in line as the airbuses was taking passengers in to take to Vale. She held on to the small canvas that held her new friend, whom she named Jielong. She also learnt something new last night. Her art friends have three forms. The first form is the paper one, which makes them normal paintings on the canvas. The second form is the small, or chibi-form like she calls it, which basically is a smaller, more cuter version of the third form, which is the normal form. Jielong was already small to begin with, only being the same length as Mai's leg.

She realized her airbus waa currently taking in passengers. With paintbrush in a safe container in her luggage and canvas in hand, she entered the airbus and took a seat at the far right corner. She watched Jielong as she swam around the canvas like an old cartoon from the Great War Era. As everyone who was going to Vale got in the airbus, it slowly flew off. Mai looked out the window, seeing her family mansion get smaller as the airbus flies off.

"I'll meet you soon dad," she says to herself as she decided to take a nap.

By the time she woke up, she was already on the coastline of Vale's mainland. She yawned and stretched her arms. She looked at Jielong, who was still fast asleep, miniature Z's coming out of her mouth in a line.

'I wonder when we will get to Vale,' she asks herself in her mind. However, her question was answered when she saw a city in the distance, as well as the prestigious Beacon Academy not that far from it. She awed at the city, which woke Jielong up form her slumber.

"We're here! I can't believe we're here," Mai said. After about an hour or so, the airbus landed, and everyone got out. Mai stretched her arms and grabbed her luggage and canvas and went to find her uncle and aunt's apartment. She already knew where to go thanks to her dad giving her directions beforehand. Remembering what her dad told her, she fount the apartment building her aunt and uncle stayed in. She walked in and up to the clerk.

"Um...I'm looking for my un-I mean Mr and Mrs Robinchild."

"They are up in Room 29 on Floor 2." Mai nodded to the clerk and went to the elevator. The elevator brought her up to Floor 2 and she began looking for her uncle and aunt's room.

"Room 29. Don't forget it. Roo-OOF!" Mai had bumped into someone's who was walking out of his room. She fell on her behind before looking up. There stands an old man with short brown hair, hazel eyes, and a scar on the side of his left cheek. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Well! What a pleasant surprise seeing you here lassie," he said.

"U-uncle." She got up and hugged the man. "I missed you."

"Hey, quit yer worrying. We already got a call from your father, so we've been ready for awhile," her uncle told her.

"Sorry I ran into you," Mai apologized. Her uncle smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Yer father taught you really well. Come on in. We'll show you to yer room and then we can go get somethin' to eat," her uncle told her. Mai smiled and followed him into his apartment, where her aunt was waiting. Her hair was also short, but ginger colored.

"Welcome to our humble adobe." Mai looked at like a kid at a candy store. It was so beautiful.

"Did you do this?"

"We sure did. Took awhile, but now we have a place that looks a lot better than the other apartments of this building," her uncle replied. Mai smiled and hopped on the couch. She let Jielong off the canvas to check out the apartment herself, which caused her aunt to smile.

"Seems you've made a new friend," she said.

"Yep! Her name is Jielong!"

"Your father did mention he was entrustin the paintbrush to you," her uncle said.

"I can't wait for father to get here to see this place!"

* * *

 **?, Vale:**

She fount it. After all this time, she fount it. The Paintbrush Of Creation, the most powerful weapon on Remnant.

"My plan is going to be a lot easier once I get that's brush. But how am I going to get it. That girl's uncle is one of the best hunters to come out of Beacon's walls...well just have to wait until the perfect moment to strike."

"But what about the girl? It's said that the only people capable of using it are the ones that the paintbrush trusts, and it apparently trusts her."

"Then we'll take her as well. But not now. She is too heavily guarded for us to easily take her and the brush. I will trust Roman on this mission, but if he fails trying to get it, I will not hesitate to "kick" him out of our ranks." The other people in the room nodded and left, leaving the figure to think for herself.

"There won't be anything stopping me this time."


	2. Chapter 2 (Reworked)

**Welcome everyone. Let's get started...(chapter starts a few days after chapter 1)**

* * *

Mai kept her gaze on the stars outside her window, thinking of her father. She looked down at her canvas, seeing Jielong flying around, wanting to be released. She brung the serpent out of the canvas and looked back out the window. Jielong wanted to cheer her up, so she licked her face again.

"Hehe...at least I know that you have my back," Mai said as she stroked Jielong's chin.

"Hey." Mai almost screamed before turning to see her uncle. "I'm headin downtown to get some dust supplies. Wanna come?"

"Y...yes, I would love to," Mai replied, getting our of her seat. She grabbed her canvas and walked out with her uncle, Jielong quickly returning to the canvas before-hand. She admired the streets of Vale. She was cramped in that town she called home back in Mistral, and now she gets her first real taste of the outside world.

"Impressive isn't it?"

"Definitely." The two then find the store they were going to. "Dust Til' Dawn? That's an odd...oh I get it now."

"Best place in Vale to get dust nowadays," her uncle told her. They enter the shop, which caused the bell above the door to ring. The shopkeeper smiled at them.

"Welcome." Her uncle approached the counter, but not before he allowed Mai to explore the store. She looked at a small, red dust crystal. She wondered what it could do, so she got out the paintbrush. She began to paint the red dust onto it. After she was done, the dust fell onto the "floor" of the canvas. Jielong tilted her head at the crystal before she ate it. A red aura surrounded the serpent's body, which confuse the daylights out of her.

"Wonder what that did?" She then painted a large boulder, to which Jielong rammed into in a cartoony fashion. The rock instantly broke apart.

"Hm...so dust gives my drawings powers based on said dust's color? I wonder what other things I could do," Mai said. Out from the corner of her eye, she noticed someone. It was a girl roughly five years older than her, with black hair with red tips, silver eyes, pale skin, and wearing a black combat dress with a black skirt that's red on the inside, black boots, and a red cape that she wears behind her.

She was reading a weapons magazine, something her father often read time to time. Her attention was then drawn back to her canvas. Jielong was shivering in fear. It's as if she was trying to tell her about something.

"Is there something wrong?" Her question was answered when multiple men came in. One of them had ginger hair and wearing a fedora and a white suit. Jielong was freaking out on the canvas. So those guys are why she was so scared. And if Jielong is scared of them, then she should be as well!

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late," the man asked the shopkeeper. One of his goons pointed his gun at the old man.

"Aye! What's the big idea," Mai's uncle questioned, holding onto the hilt of his sword in case this went south.

"P-please! Just take my lien and leave!" Mai's uncle looked at him and then back at the goons. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at them.

"Get the fuck out of here if you want to see yourselves without a missing leg. If you're going to take this man's hard earnings, you'll have to go through me," he told them. The boss of the goons smirked with a cigar in his mouth.

"Were not here for the money. Men. Grab the dust." Mai's eyes widened. Her uncle grew a scowl on his face.

"Alright. Looks like I have no choice, but to apprehend you." He looked at Mai. She already knew what he was wanting her to do, so she exited the shop. She sat down by the window so she can keep an eye on her uncle, in case he got hurt.

"I want to help," she said to herself. She began looking deep into her imagintion, trying to find something that could help her uncle while he fought against those bad guys.

...

...

...

"That's it!" Getting her paintbrush, she began to paint the thing she saw in her mind. She stopped halfway however, as multiple goons and her uncle burst from the window. They land in the road to continue their fight. The crash had also caught the attention of the girl from before, who joined the fight with her scythe! Her eyes then turned to the man in the white suit. He had a scowl on his face, with three goons behind him.

Her eyes widened when he saw her cowering under the window, with canvas and paintbrush in hand. A menacing grin grew on his face. His boss told him of a girl with a magic paintbrush that looked exactly like this. Better make this quick.

"Get her." The three goons ran after her. She went into an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster, hoping to get the painting done.

'Come on, come on!' Afte adding the last bit of detail, she tapped the end of the brush. Electricity came from the brush and hit the painting, bringing it to life. On the canvas stands a warrior in a suit of armor that was unknown to the world, even she had no idea where that kind of armor came from. She brung the warrior out of the painting. He stood at a staggering seven feet, which baffled her to no end.

"Gotcha!" A strong arm grabbed Mai's shoulder and dragged her out from behind the dumpster. She screamed in terror as the warrior finally realized that he was alive. Seeing his mistress being taken, he unsheathed his katana and charged at the goons responsible.

He slashed down on one of the goons, causing said goon to drop his weapon. The warrior then kicked the goon into a wall before stabbing another one, sending that goon into a trash can. The last goon, the one gripping Mai's arm, made a break for it, but was knocked unconscious when an axe was thrown at him at a speed fast enough to break his aura in a single hit.

"Thank you..." the warrior helped her up. She dusted herself off as well as the canvas. She then bring out Jielong from the canvas, who looked at the warrior with curiosity. "Come on! We have to check on uncle!"

"Hold on child." The warrior picked his mistress up and placed her on his shoulders. The warrior ran out of the alley to see that the battle has taken to the roof of a building. A bullhead was flying over the building, with a woman in a red dress firing fireballs at her uncle, the girl from before, and a new woman she hasn't seen before.

"We need to hurry! I don't know if uncle is okay or not!"

"Do you expect me to be able to help without a ranged weapon? I can't exactly grow wings out from behind me," the warrior responded. Mai quickly went into her mind and began to paint. After she was done, she dropped a strange symbol onto his katana. He looked at his blade. Something was different. He pressed a button on the hilt, which wasn't there before, and it transformed into a rifle with a bayonet at the end.

"Much better." Mai then painted a floating platform that took them up the building. They arrived just in time to see the bullhead leaving. Holes littered the rold of the building and smoke filled the air.

"Uncle?"

"Thank goodness your alright." Her uncle emerged from the smoke and hugged his niece. He then looked at the warrior.

"And I suppose that you're one of her creations," he questioned.

"Yeah! Uncle, I would like you to meet Xan! My personal bodyguard I guess," Mai said.

"Pleasure to meet you..."

"Shiro," her uncle introduced himself. The smoke cleared, revealing the woman and the girl from before. The new huntress adusted her glasses before glaring at the girl. Her eyes lit up with admiration when she realized who she and Shiro were.

"Your hunters!"

"Hey uncle, who is that," Mai asked.

"Dat would be Glynda Goodwitch, one of the teachers and assistant principal of Beacon Academy," Shiro replied.

"Can I have your autograph," the girl asked. However, Glynda gave her a strict glare, which caused the girl to shrink back. She then looked over to Mai and her uncle, who sighed in realization.

"This day just keeps on gettin' better, doesn't it?"

* * *

 **In the bullhead** :

"The Paintbrush of Creation was right there! How could you lose it?"

"We almost had it, but the brat had made a warrior that beat the goons I sent to catch her. I was running low on time. And then those two finished off my other goons. I had to run or I risked getting caught," the man in the white suit explained in fear. The woman with pitch black hair and a red dress had fire coming out of her hands in anger. But then she calmed. The fire disappeared from her hands as she sighed.

"You and Neo are still too important for the mission. If you fail to grab it the next time the opprotunity comes, you WILL suffer the consequence. Do you understand," she questioned.

"Y-yes ma'am."

"Good. Now get back on the controls, we're heading back to base."

* * *

 **Vale Police Station** :

Mai sat in the corner of the interrogation room. She held her paintbrush tightly as she watched Xan and Jielong interact on the canvas. Glynda was walking around a table, with the girl, who she found out was named Ruby, and her uncle sitting at the other end. The room was barely lit, with Mai being almost invisible in the darkness.

"I hope that you two realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly. You put yourselves and others in great danger," Glynda began.

"But they started it! I was only trying help him," Ruby whined.

"I will say, your fighting skills are almost as good as mine," Shiro said to the girl, not bothering to listening to Glynda.

"If it were up to me, you'd be sent home... With a pat on the back..." Ruby smiled, but Shiro sighed. He's already been through this before.

"And a slap on the wrist! I've known you for many years Glynda, I wouldn't forget the same lecture your givin' poor Red here," he added. Glynda glared at Shiro, but turned her attention to Ruby.

'Shiro, I will never get used to your smart-ass comments,' Glynda thinks to herself. "You'd be right there, but... there is someone who would like to meet you two."

'Already know who sister,' Shiro says in his mind. At that moment, Glynda steps out of the way, revealing a man in green holding a coffee mug and a plate of cookies.

"Ruby Rose," the man said, leaning in to look at her face. "You...have silver eyes."

"Heya Ozpin. Been a while since we last met," Shiro interjected.

"Pleasure to finally meet you Shiro. It's really been too long," Ozpin stated. He looks back at Ruby, who was sitting there, twiddling her thumbs. "So! Where did you learn to do this?"

'I will never get over how Ozpin has so many secret cameras around,' Shiro said in his mind as Glynda brought up a tablet, showing Ruby and him fighting the goons from before.

"S-Signal Academy."

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed," Ozpin questioned. Even Shiro was surprised. He never thought Signal was one of those academies that housed a teacher that taught scythe combat.

"Well, one teacher in particular," Ruby added.

"I see..." Ozpin laid the plate of cookies in front of Ruby, who took a cookie and ate it in one bite. Seeing no one retaliate, she shoveled the rest of them into her mouth.

"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow," Ozpin said.

"Oh! That's my uncle," Ruby mumbles. She swallowed and wiped her mouth, feeling a little embarrassed. "Sorry, that's my uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now I'm all like-" Ruby then proceeded to show off some karate moves. Shiro couldn't help but smile at her. She reminded him of himself at that age.

"So I noticed." Ozpin sets his mug on the table and sits in a chair. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

"Well...I want to be a huntress," Ruby replied.

"You want to slay monsters?" Shiro zoned out from the explanation Ruby was giving them and looked back at Mai. She was in the darkness, but he knew she was there.

"You okay Mai?"

"I'm fine. I just want this to end so I can get out of here without everyone seeing my friends," Mai whisperer to him. Shiro nodded and turned back towards Ozpin. He and Glynda were looking over Ruby, trying to find any faults.

"Do you know who I am," Ozpin asked, breaking the silence.

"You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon." Ozpin gave her a small smile before saying "hello." "Nice to meet you."

"You want to come to my school," Ozpin questioned.

"More than anything," Ruby answered. Ozpin looked back at Glynda, who only looked away and scoffed.

"Well...okay." Ruby's eyes widened as her mouth went agape. Ozpin smiled before Ruby got out of her seat and cheered.

"You may go now. I would like to speak to the other two in the room," he told her. She said a silent "thank you" before quickly leaving the room. Ozpin looked into the one corner of the room, the one where Mai was sitting at. "You may come out now. I wish to speak to you."

Mai slowly stepped out from the shadows and took the empty seat that Ruby once sat in. Ozpin shifted a little in his seat before looking at Shiro.

"Ozpin, I don't like that look," Shiro said. Ozpin then looked at Mai, who held her grip on the brush tighter than she has before.

"The Paintbrush of Creation. One of mankind's strongest creations. It entrusts itself on someone's and uses the painter's imagination to create whatever he's thinking of. It seems to have entrusted itself with you, young Mai," Ozpin began.

"My father said something like that," she said.

"Your father was a good man. He and his ancestors created some of the greatest artwork and literature Remnant has ever seen. And with something as great as the Paintbrush of Creation, there are those who want it for their own, often evil deeds," Ozpin continued.

"Why would someone want to use the paintbrush in a bad way," Mai asked as she tilted her head. Ozpin adjusted his glasses.

"Uh...to create more bad guys," Shiro told her.

"Ohhhh okay," Mai said. She held her canvas close. "But, The Paintbrush probably won't trust them. What would that mean!?"

Ozpin and Shiro both looked at each other before they looked back at her.

"Um...mind stepping out for a bit," Shiro asked. Mai nodded, though confused on why he wanted her out of the room. The police opened the door for her, and she stepped out and into the waiting room. She sat down in one of the chairs and looked back at her canvas. Jielong was sleeping beside Xan as he sharpened his katana.

"Hey Xan," she began.

"Mistress, are you alright," Xan asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she told him. She got out the paintbrush. "You hungry?"

"No, no, I'm fine...though I probably need a new stone to sharpen my blade with," Xan replied. Mai smiled, and quickly drew a few stones. They fell in front of Xan. "Thank you." Taking one of the stones, he continued to sharpen his katana.

"When do you think that father will come to Vale?" Xan remained quiet.

"I...don't know mistress," he said. "Since I wasn't exactly around when you left for Vale, I wouldn't know for sure."

Mai began to quiver. Her father hasn't arrived. Today he should've gotten here, but he hasn't even called uncle Shiro yet. She was about to say something else to Xan, but Shiro stepped out of the interrogation room and into the waiting room. She saw her sitting there staring at her canvas.

"Mai. Let's go." Mai got out of her chair and followed him out of the police station. Mai felt tears stream out of her eyes as she looked back up at Shiro.

"When is d-daddy supposed to get here," Mai asked. Shiro noticed her crying.

"He will get here soon Mai. I promise," he reassures her. Mai simply smiled, wiping a tear from her cheek as they continued their walk home.

* * *

 **Finished! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have ideas for the next chapter, leave a review.**

 **Le oof. Reworked the portion of the chapter with Ozpin, mostly because I realized he wouldn't tell anyone of his enemies. Big mistake. So I fixed it.**

 **This is Sporedude135, signing off...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you know that I reworked a portion of the second chapter. Go check it out. But for those that either don't care or have already read the new rework, we'll just go ahead and continue.**

* * *

Total darkness was all she could see.

Mai opened her eyes, only to find that the world around her was a deep, black void. Was she in a dream, perhaps? She always had vivid dreams. Wonder what this one is about? After a minute of waiting, a bright flash of light erupted from the black, engulfing her and causing her to close her eyes again.

When she opened her eyes the second time, she didn't find herself in her room. In fact, she was underwater. She quickly swam to the surface. She looked around her. The water was a clean, bright blue, and there was a large island nearby. The island had what looked to be an abandoned city on it. She began to swim over to it. It wasn't only when she reached the island when she noticed how land was black and grimy, almost like it was the site of a battle. Must've been from the looks of it. Scorch marks, skeletons, destroyed vehicles, and downed aircraft littered the entire island.

She was terrified, but pressed on. After exploring the island a little bit, she went back to shore. The ground as well was dark. She then looked up at the sky. It was clear, but the sun is blinding. More so than usual. The sun's glare was covering something up. It looked huge, but she couldn't tell what it was.

And that was where her dream ended.

* * *

Mai shot up with a gasp. She rubbed her eyes of tiredness before realizing she was in her room. It was a dream. She got out of bed, and noticed that the canvas her uncle got her before she got here...had something on it. It wasn't there before. It looked a lot like a map, but took up a small amount of the available space, since all that was on it was just a simple island.

"Mistress?" Mai looked to see Xan from her portable canvas.

"I'm fine Xan. Just had an odd dream," she told him. "Why are you up so early?"

"I was up all night watching the Paintbrush move all on it's own and paint that onto the canvas," Xan explained. Mai's eyes widnened before looking at the brush, which was still on her dresser. A phantom paintbrush is something you don't hear everyday.

"Maybe a ghost was wanting to paint or something," Mai joked. Xan kept his blank expression. Mai frowned. "Come on Xan. Lighten up a little!"

"If I "lighten up," I will lose focus. That would make it easier for people to attack you," Xan told her. Mai sighed before opening her closet.

"Well...uncle Shiro told me we were going to the park today. A park is a fun place. Enemies wouldn't, you know, attack there. Maybe you can laugh there," Mai said, looking around for something to wear.

"I'll try mistress," Xan replied. Mai smiled before finding what she wanted. She grabbed the rim of her pajama shirt and prepared to take it off.

"Don't look." Xan quickly turned away from his mistress as she got undressed and put her clothes on, which was a bright pink, sleeveless shirt, a not as bright pink skirt, dark grey sweatpants, and a cute little beret her father got her as a gift.

"Alright Xan. Let's go." She went over and grabbed her portable canvas, which held Xan and Jielong already, and walked out of her room, though returning to grab her paintbrush. She walked into the living room to find Shiro already there, cooking breakfast.

"Morning uncle," she said.

"Mornin' lad." After having breakfast, Mai painted some on her canvas for Jielong and Xan to enjoy.

"Did you get any calls from dad," Mai asked. Shiro turned to her and frowned.

"Not yet lad. I am seriously beginning to wonder what's taking him so long." Mai lowered her head in sadness, but Shiro lifted it up. "Hey, didn't I promise yah about going to the park today?"

That got Mai happy. Though she probably won't go and play with the kids. She's shy around, well, everyone that isn't family. In a more likely case, she'll go mingle with Xan and Jielong on a bench nearby.

That didn't deter her though. She walked out of the apartment building with her uncle. She took in a breath of fresh air as they walked to the park. After a few minutes of walking, they come across what they were looking for.

"Here we are!" Mai smiled at her uncle's enthusiasm before he looked at Xan on her canvas. "Listen. I won't be able to join, mostly because I have some work to do. Xan. Keep an eye on her."

"I will," Xan replied. Shiro smiled before Mai let Xan out from the canvas. Shiro walked off, but not before waving goodbye to Mai. She waved back before walking into the park.

She sat down at one of the benches, with Xan standing guard behind it. Mai turned and frowned at him, but figured it was no use since he didn't turn around. She turned back and sighed. Looking down, she saw Jielong flying around on the canvas, apparently bored out of her mind.

"You want a friend?" Jielong simply grumbled before continuing to fly around. Mai smiled before she looked deep into her imagination. She fount something that could work, and began to paint. After finishing the job, she brings the creation to life.

The creaction was a man similar to Xan, but with much less armor, and wielding a bow instead of a katana. He had no helm on that blocked his face like Xan, showing his short, ginger hair.

He was still sleeping. He didn't know that he was brought to life. Mai noticed this, and gently used her finger to tap him on the head. He finally awoke, revealing his hazel eyes.

"What?"

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up," Mai told her new creation with a smile. He slowly got up, picking up his bow while Jielong flew around him, wondering who he was. "I'll call you Arata."

Arata twitched a bit before Jielong wrapped herself around his arm. However, since he was bigger than Mai, well, if he was out of the canvas, Jielong only got up to his elbow.

"Mai? Who is this", Xan questioned, looking down at her canvas and at the newcomer.

"This is Arata. I figured that Jielong wanted someone to play with while you were being my bodyguard, so I created him," Mai introduced him. For sone unknown reason, Xan and Arata glared at each other. Mai didn't notice however, as she looked down back at Jielong, who was flying around happily.

"Hello?" Mai gasped in shock before putting her canvas close to her chest. Blushing in embarrassment, she noticed a boy roughly her age was standing there. The boy has straight, white hair, almost like her father, and grey eyes.

"H-hi," she stuttered, her shyness coming up.

"I never seen you around here before. Who are you," the boy asked.

"M-Mai. Mai Robinchild," she told him, trying to hide her face.

"The name's Vance," the boy said with a smile. However, his eyes widened when he remembered what her last name represented. "Wait...your a Robinchild?"

"Y-yeah. Is that a problem," Mai asked.

"No, no! It's a great honor meeting a Robinchild. My family has always been fascinated by Robinchild art," Vance told her.

"You have?"

"Everyone has! Your family's art is some of the best in all of Remnant! I'm surprised your not overrun by fans of your family's work," Vance said. Mai blushed a little more from the compliments she was receiving about her family. Why was she the one that has to deal with this burden, especially since she was shy?

"What's on your canvas?" Mai looked back down, seeing Arata and Jielong. They were both frozen like statues. She figured that it was them trying to make sure their secret wasn't fount out.

"Um...my latest creations," Mai replied.

"Interesting designs. How long have you been painting," Vance asked.

"For most of my life actually. I figured you'd know since I'm part of the Robinchild family," Mai told him.

"But who's that behind you? Your father?" Mai knew who he was talking about. Xan was turned towards them, tapping his foot patiently while giving a small glare at Vance.

"Um...that's my bodyguard Xan. He's been protecting me for a while now," Mai told him. Xan continued glaring at him when he finally spoke.

"Mistress. Who is this," he asked her.

"Uh...this is Vance...an admirer of my work, I guess," Mai replied. Xan eyed Vance suspiciously, trying to find anything that could lead to Mai's endangerment. He fount none, but kept his eye on him in case he gets a little to close. Mai turned back to Vance.

"Sorry about his...behavior. He's...pretty serious all the time, even in happy situations," Mai told him.

"That's a bummer. It sucks you have nobody to play with at the moment," Vance said.

For the next few hours, the two simply talked to each other. They were getting along nicely. Mai expected the conversation to end long before this point, mostly because she didn't want to talk anymore, but the boy was persistent. It was already two hour past noon when Vance's parents called him to leave.

"Oof, I gotta go. See yah," he said as he ran off to his parents, waving back at her. She shyly waved back. She looked back down to see Arata and Jielong moving again.

"That took longer than I expected," Arata stated.

"I know. I really didn't want to talk but he just kept on going," Mai said.

"Your uncle should be arriving soon. It's best that's I return to the canvas," Xan told her. Mai nodded, and brung Xan back to the canvas. Once again, Arata and Xan glared at each other.

"What's wrong with you two," she asked them. The two didn't say nothing as they broke their gaze, now looking at their ends of the canvas. "Um...okay then."

"There you are Mai." She turned around to see her uncle. She smiled and rushed over to him.

"How was work," she asked as they began to walk home.

"Yeah, it was fine. It was slow today, more so than usual, but I managed," Shiro told her, ruffling her beret up. She giggled as they walked home.

But Mai had this sudden feeling about that map painted on the big canvas in her room. Something about it seemed...familiar.

* * *

 **Le oof. Finished. usually I try to get to the 2000 word mark before trying to end the chapter, but I kinda ran out of ideas and really want to work on another story I got ideas for (it's a whole new story and one of the oddest I'd create due to the fact that...well, it's based off a "Brantsteeleverse" that I created).**

 **Also, I'm very sorry if this chapter isn't good to you. But hey, I tried. *has a feeling that everyone will yell at me for this chapter like last time***

 **Anyways, this is Sporedude135, signing off...**


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